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Welcome to the 1,950 new operators that joined us this week. 🤯
Hey Fastlane Insiders! 👋
We're 43 days out from Black Friday. And while most brands are still dumping budget into Meta ads and crossing their fingers, the smartest operators are doing something completely different: they're building audiences they actually own.
Here's what I keep seeing—brands with dialed-in ad funnels and solid email flows who still feel like one algorithm change could tank their entire business. Because when you're renting your audience from Zuckerberg, you're always one update away from starting over.
This week's all about flipping that script. We're talking owned media, conversational commerce, and the AI shifts that are quietly rewriting the rules of discovery and checkout.
Here's what's inside:
🎧 This Week's Podcast – Moshe Zippel from Beehiiv breaks down how DTC founders are turning newsletters from "nice to have" into legitimate revenue channels. Growth loops, monetization networks, and why your ESP isn't enough anymore.
💡 Knowledge Drops – ChatGPT just became a checkout counter (yes, really), and AI search engines stopped caring about your backlinks. Two massive shifts happening right now that most brands are missing.
🔥 Tool of the Week – A loyalty program that doesn't feel like homework to set up or manage. Turn one-time buyers into repeat customers without the usual tech headache.
📡 Industry Pulse – Shopify's 2,048-variant update, Walmart's ChatGPT shopping rollout, and why "shop small" campaigns are crushing big-brand promos this year.
Whether you're trying to cut your CAC, own your customer relationships, or just stop feeling dependent on paid platforms—this edition's got you covered.
Let's dive in. 👇
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📧
Tired of Playing by Zuckerberg's Rules? Here's Your Exit Strategy
If you've mastered ads and email but still feel like your growth lives and dies by Meta's algorithm changes, you're not alone. The smartest Shopify brands are quietly building something Meta can't touch: their own audience through newsletters.
This week, I sat down with Moshe Zippel, Senior Lead of Advertising Success at Beehiiv, to talk about how DTC founders are turning newsletters from "nice to have" into legitimate revenue channels.
What you'll discover in this conversation:
Own Your Audience, Finally – Your ESP handles transactions, but newsletters build relationships through content that compounds over time (without spending another dollar on ads)
Growth on Autopilot – Beehiiv's Boost and Recommendation networks let you cross-promote with other creators and actually earn subscribers or cash while you sleep
Turn Sends into Revenue – Their Ad Network connects you with advertisers who pay you for every newsletter send (no sales team required)
Shopify Integration Made Simple – Drop signup forms right on your storefront, sync audience data, and run ad pixels for better attribution
Real Data That Matters – Get dashboard insights on the engagement and ROI metrics that actually drive decisions
The brands doing this right are cutting CAC, growing organic traffic, and finally owning a channel that can't get shut down overnight.
LISTEN NOW → Hear how top Shopify brands are building audiences they actually own
💡 Knowledge Drops of the Week 💡
ChatGPT Just Became a Checkout Counter (And Your Store Can Be on It)
Shopify just flipped the script on where commerce happens. Thanks to OpenAI's new Agentic Commerce Protocol, shoppers can now discover products, ask questions, and complete their purchase—all without leaving ChatGPT.
No redirect. No tab-switching. No "let me think about it" drop-off.
If you're selling products under $75 or anything with strong repeat potential, this could unlock a brand new revenue stream you didn't have last week.
Here's what's happening right now:
You're discoverable in a 700M+ user conversation – ChatGPT isn't just answering questions anymore; it's recommending products organically (no auction, no pay-to-play) and letting people buy instantly
Impulse buys just got frictionless – Perfect for gifts, restocks, or "I need this now" moments where one tap closes the deal before second-guessing sets in
Your funnel stays protected – Orders flow straight into your Shopify dashboard, you stay the merchant of record, and fulfillment works exactly like it does today
AI meets your existing stack – Payments run through your current processor (Stripe integration is seamless), and the whole thing plugs into what you're already using
Shopify merchants are being onboarded now. Early adopters aren't chasing hype—they're positioning themselves at the intersection of conversational AI and commerce before it becomes crowded.
READ THE FULL BREAKDOWN → Learn exactly how Shopify brands are setting this up and turning ChatGPT conversations into confirmed orders.
Google Stopped Caring About Your Backlinks (Here's What Actually Matters Now)
While most Shopify stores are still optimizing for 2019 SEO rules, the game has completely changed. AI search engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and even Google's AI overviews (now showing up in 13% of all searches) don't rank stores the same way anymore.
The difference? AI doesn't care about keyword density or link swaps. It cares about structured data it can actually understand and trust.
Stores treating SEO like data engineering instead of guesswork are the ones staying visible while competitors disappear from results.
What the top 1% are doing differently:
Feed quality is the new ranking signal – Clean product feeds with consistent schema markup help AI systems know exactly what you sell and when to recommend it
Context crushes keywords – Write factual, structured content that directly answers shopper questions, not content stuffed with search terms
Citations replaced backlinks – A few credible brand mentions in the right places matter more than hundreds of reciprocal links
Schema becomes your AI sales rep – Properly tagged prices, reviews, and stock levels get your products featured in conversational search results
The shift is happening now. Shopify stores optimizing for how AI reads data—not how humans read copy—are quietly pulling ahead while everyone else wonders why their traffic disappeared.
READ THE FULL PLAYBOOK → See exactly how leading Shopify stores are restructuring their SEO for the AI era.
📡 Industry Pulse 📡
Every week, I come across strategies and insights that are just too good not to share. Here's what caught my attention this week.
Shopify just ditched the 100-variant ceiling—products can now have up to 2,048 variants. That means no more duplicate listings or messy workarounds, just one streamlined product page for every size, color, and configuration your customers want.
👉 READ > Shopify’s 2,048 Variant Update
Walmart just went all-in on AI commerce—partnering with OpenAI to let shoppers plan meals, restock essentials, and check out directly through ChatGPT. This marks the rise of “agentic commerce,” where AI anticipates customer needs instead of just answering questions.
👉 READ > Walmart x ChatGPT Shopping
Turns out “shop small” isn’t just a feel-good phrase—it’s a growth lever. Constant Contact found community-first email campaigns using language like “shop small business” pulled 45% open rates, outperforming big-brand and urgency-driven hooks like “exclusive sale” or “today only.”
👉 READ > Consumers Love ‘Shop Small’ Messaging
🔥 Tool of the Week 🔥
Buy once, then disappear? Turn one-time shoppers into loyal repeat buyers — automatically with Trustoo Loyalty.
Reward purchases, reviews, and shares with Points & Coupons — gamified incentives that drive engagement.
Launch VIP tiers and Referral programs to turn customers into brand advocates.
Fully customizable widget — 5-minute setup, no coding required.
Click to download Trustoo Loyalty on the Shopify App Store
→ Set points and discount ratio on Program
→ Style your widget on Brand Style
→ Launch in minutes
Until Next Thursday
Here's what keeps hitting me as I put this edition together:
The brands crushing Q4—and setting up 2026 right—aren't the ones with the biggest ad budgets. They're building assets they actually own.
A newsletter that drives revenue. An AI checkout flow with zero friction. Search visibility that doesn't disappear when Google changes its mind on Thursday. It's all about ownership.
Some of you are already deep into this. Others are just realizing that building your entire business on Meta's platform might not be the play long-term. Both are fine. What matters is you're thinking about it now, not next summer when everyone else catches on.
We're 43 days out from Black Friday. Still plenty of time to make real moves—not just for Q4, but for building a business that doesn't collapse when a platform changes the rules.
If something in today's edition hit different—or you're already testing one of these plays—hit reply. I read every response, and honestly, these conversations shape what we dig into next.
Keep building. Keep testing. And most importantly—keep owning your growth.
Cheers!
— Steve
